Traction-engine attachment.



No. 741,379. PATENTED OCT. 13, 1903.

T J. SAUNDERS & B. G. ROWLANDS.

TRACTION ENGINE. ATTACHMENT.

APPLIOATION PIL'ED any- 23, 902.

. @Mag No. 741,879. PATENTED OCT. 13, 1903. J. SAUNDERS & E; G ROWLANDS.

TRACTION ENGINE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23, 1902.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

THE NORRIS warms coy, PHom-utuQ, wnsumsmm o c.

no. was e.

UNITED STATES Patented fiotober 13, 1908,

Pnrnr rr cni TRACTION-ENGINE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,379, dated October13, 1903.

Application filed $eptember 23, 1902. Serial No. 124,5 '71. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN SAUNDERS and ERROLL G. RowLANns, citizens ofthe United States residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraction-Engine Attachments; and we do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to an attachment for traction-engines, and hasfor its obj eet the p'rovision of mechanism supported by the boiler ofan engine and in front of the fire-box adapted to be employed forplowing and'grading purposes.

The invention consists, essentially,of a drum mounted upon a shaft,which said shaft is journaled in a bracket which is attached to theunder side of an engine-boiler, of a ring gear forming a part of saiddrum, which has meshing therewith an idler-gear journaled on a shortshaft or stem extending from the side of the boiler which is actuated bymeans of a pinion adapted to have a fast and loose connection with amain drive-shaft actuated from a suitable source of power.

The invention. has for its further object details of construction and inthe combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of our attachment and so much of a traction-engine as willillustrate the practical application of our device. Fig. 2 is a verticalcross-section through the parts as shown in Fig. 1 with the addition ofa fly-wheel and showing parts of a frictionclutch. Fig. 3 is a bottomplan of the drum and its support.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding partsof the figures.

In illustrating the device we have thought it necessary to illustrateonly the outline of the boiler and fire-box of a traction-engine and themain drive-shaft, which is usually connected to a suitable source ofpower and arranged for imparting momentum to the ground-wheels of anengine.

1 indicates a boiler, and 2 the fire-box, of the ordinary form oftractionengine new in use.

3 indicates a transvsrscly -carried powershaft journaled in brackets 4,supported by the boiler 1. The usual devices, such as a fly-wheel withits friction-clutch and a pinion, which are carried by the power-shaft3, having connection with mechanism for transmitting power from theshaft 3 to the traction-wheels of a like vehicle, we have omitted fromthe drawings, as they form no part of this device; but were they shownthey would appear upon the left-hand side of the boiler and on the shaft3 when looking at Fig. 2 and upon the opposite side of Fig. 1.

The devices which form our invention are supported beneath the boilerand actuated by mechanism carried upon the opposite side of the machineand on the shaft 3 to the devices for imparting power to the tractionwheels above described as not being shown.

5 refers to a fly-wheel carried and rotatable with the shaft 3 and maybe provided with arms 6, forming a part of a suitable frictionclutchadapted to engage the inner surface of the rim of the flywheel, andintegral with such friction-clutch parts is a pinion 7, spaced asuitable distance from the fly-wheel by means of a collar or sleeve 85,forming a part of the arms 6 and the pinion 7, and 9 is a clutch memberhaving a fixed relation with the collar or sleeve 8. \Ve have describedthis means of making the pinion 7 fast and loose with the shaft 3through the fiy-wheel 5; but it is to be understood that other andvarious forms of mechanism may be employed for accomplishing thispurpose.

10 indicates a drum having flange portions 11 and 12, and the same isdesigned to rotate horizontally on a vertical shaft 13, which isattached to or forms a part of a bracket or plate 14, designed to besuitably secured to the under side of the boiler 1 and in such a manneras to support the drum 10 for rotation beneath the boiler and slightlyin advance of the fire-box 2. The flange 12 of the drum 10 is muchlarger in circumference than the flange 11, and upon the upper face andat or near the outer edge thereof is shown a ring gear 14!. Meshing withthis ring gear 14:, and also with the pinion 7, is an idler-gear 15,mounted upon a short stud or spindle 16, forming a part of anidler-bracket 17, which is fixedly attached to the side of the boiler 1in the position shown in Figs. 1. and 2.

Referring again to the drum 10 and the shaft 13, 18 is a ball-disk whichis screwed or otherwise secured to the lower end of the shaft 13 andarranged in such a manner as to form a channel 19 between the disks 18and the lower face of the drum, and circumferentially arranged in thelower face of the drum and the upper face of the ball-disk are shownchannels 20 and 21, in which are arranged ball-bearings 22, by means ofwhich the drum 10 may have a free and easy movement on its support.

23 is a jam-nut on the outer end of the shaft 3, and 24 indicates abraceor support for supporting the ball-disk plate 18, and at its oppositeend is secured to the fire-box 2. The bracket 24: may be integral withthe ball-disk plate 18, if desirable.

The operation of the device from the drawings and the descriptionthereof, it is believed, will be readily understood. Now, then, thefunction of such a device as attached to a traction-engine: WVhileapplicable for many purposes, it is designed to assist in plowing andgrading, and especially over hilly ground. For instance, we will supposethat it is to be employed for leveling a road. A traction-engine wouldbe placed on each side of the hill in the road and two parts of a cableattached to the grading or leveling machine and their opposite endswrapped around the drums of the traction-engine, by means of which it isdesigned by one engine through such cable and drum to pull the grader orleveler t0 the same and by means of the oppositely-placed engine and itscable draw it back again. The engines being so placed and the drumsrotating in the manner ,in which they do, the engines may be run forwardor backward and the grader or leveler pulled from machine to machineuntil the desired object is accomplished.

We are aware that various changes may be made in the construction andapplication of the parts herein and details resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of invention herein.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An attachment for traction-engines, comprising a drum mounted forhorizontal rot-ation beneath the engine, an upwardly-presented ring gearof the drum, a power-shaft, and means having an intermittent fastconnection with the shaft adapted when so connected to impart rotationto the drum, forv the purpose set forth.

2. An attachment for traction-engines,comprising, a drum operativelymounted beneath its boiler, a ring gear of the drum, an idlergearsupported to mesh with the aforesaid ring, and means for intermittinglyactuating said gear, for the purposes set forth.

3. An attachment for tracti0n-engines,comprising, a drum mounted on avertical shaft suspended beneath its boiler, a ring gear of the drum, apower shaft, a pinion carried upon said shaft, and an idler-gearsupported to mesh with the aforesaid pinion, and ring gear of the drum,for the purposes set forth.

4. An attachment for traction-engines,comprising, a drum operativelymounted beneath its boiler, a disk supported beneath the drum andball-bearin gs interposed between the disk and drum, a ring gear of thedrum and mechanism for actuating said drum, for the purposes set forth.

, 5. An attachment for tractioirengines,comprising, a drum mounted on ashaft su spended beneath its boiler and intermediate the end of saidboiler and fire-box, a ring gear from the upper surface of the drum, agear meshing with said ring supported from a shaft extending from theside of the engine-boiler, a

power-shaft and means for imparting movement to the aforesaid gear,substantially for the purposes set forth.

6. In combination with a tractionengine, the shaft 13 supported by meansattached to the engine-boiler, a drum 10 having means arranged to beactuated by supplem ental devices, the disk lS, and the ball-bearings22, between the disk and drum, substantially for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN SAUNDERS. ERROLL G. ROVVLANDS.

lVitnesses:

OHAs. W. LA PORTE, JEssIE O. BAILEY.

